A Righteous Minority

April 17, 2021

In this Passover season there’s an interesting story worth recalling from the Old Testament, one that speaks loudly to our generation and our culture of dysfunction. It’s the story of Abraham and Lot, and its message resonates.

The moral of the story is a handful of good people can make a difference in our world. Indeed, enough 'righteous' folks can turn the tide against the degradation of society. There’s a reason the Old Testament calls this group, “The Salt of the Earth.” 

I’m from Chicago, where community was a rather big deal. So growing up as a kid—a white boy in America, living in an ethnically mixed urban neighborhood--I enjoyed the lessons of neighbors pulling together in times of trouble, or giving to friends in times of plenty, to fortify our culture in ways that brought very different people closer together. 

When I moved with my family to Greece, I witnessed a contrast. Our house is on a main street leading up to the Old City, built during the Roman and Byzantine empires. Not too shabby, huh? However, what was shabby when I arrived was the condition of a small public garden outside my front door, next to the garbage bins, adjoining the bus stop, about 25 meters from our front door. It’s easy for local residents or those exiting the buses who don’t play basketball, to miss the bins, leaving the small garden strewn with litter. Over time, the scraps becomes hills. It was, and often still is, an eye-sore.

A few years ago I decided to take a role in changing my environment. Like a naive American, I went to the garage, grabbed my rake and broom, and started picking through the pile of refuse that had collected in the garden. In about 15 minutes, the small plot of dirt and grass was clean again.

As I was looking at my handiwork and feeling good about my neighborhood again, an old lady walked by carrying her plastic bag of garbage, in route to the bins. She stopped in front of me, noticed the sweat streaming down my face and started yelling at me. The translation went something like this:

“Do you know how many times I’ve called you guys at the local government and complained that you never come out and clean our garden?” She was gesticulating. “I’ve been yelling at you for months, and finally you come. It’s about time!” She was too old to be so angry, and I thought she would keel over and her life would end at any moment.

I collected my thoughts and pointed to my house behind me on the street. “I’m not from the government,” I explained. “I live here. I’m your neighbor. I didn’t like looking at garbage from my bedroom window every morning, and decided to do something to clean up my neighborhood.”

She bowed her head, slinked away, and crawled back to her house. I haven't seen her since.

The lessons here are obvious. First, if you want to do something for your own environment, if you care to make a positive change to your immediate surroundings, you’d better not depend on the government. It’s a good bet they’re the last to arrive with a solution, and incompetent when they do show up. The response of government to COVID has been the best example of this ageless truth.

Second, it’s always much better to do by example, and improve the neighborhood and, in doing so, perhaps also affect the habits of those who live near you. The effect on your community can be addictive.

Over the years, I’ve noticed a change. These days, my neighbors are closer knit, and we tend to look out for one another. Indeed, it’s becoming the norm for people to start taking personal responsibility for the collective. The change has been glacial, no doubt, but I can see a difference. A few thoughtful people who care, can change the world.

Which brings us back to the Old Testament and the story of Abraham and Lot. For those readers who know how to navigate a Bible, the story is dramatic, reaching back to the earliest book of Genesis.

Again, I’ll paraphrase and bring the story ‘to the hood’ so to speak….the hood in this case being the famous cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Most know Abraham as the father of the Jewish People; but few know his nephew was named Lot. While Abraham is the man with wisdom and experience, the story depicts Lot as a naive yet overly considerate host, accommodating others, often to the detriment of his own family. The most quirky part of the story is the ending, with Lot’s wife turning into a pillar of salt. 

But I digress. The story has a background: Sodom and Gomorrah are slated for destruction by God, for their many failings--all of which are moral in nature. When you read the book of Genesis, chapters 18-20, you can tell the writer is holding back quite a bit on the ugly details. But what he DOES reveal is enough to make even a modern man blush and squirm. 

The story is chock full of sexual deviancy, to the extent that even Lot himself at one point offers up his own daughters as a sexual favor to visiting guests who threaten his family, to get them to back off and leave them alone. Clearly, Sodom and Gomorrah has become one big orgy, a place where anything goes. Yet even this can sound timid these days if you're on-line with social media.

So, the story goes, God is peeved with the city and its inhabitants. He’s had enough, and approaches Abraham to inform him he’s planning to destroy the cities with ‘fire and brimstone,’ disgusted by what He witnesses.

Abraham, always the negotiator, bargains with God, looking for a way to salvage the city from destruction. After all, his nephew Lot lives there, along with his family. Abraham starts bargaining with God to save Sodom, offering an opening bid. And I paraphrase, very loosely:

“Hey God, what if I’m able to find 50 righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah? Would you be willing to spare the city from destruction?”

God replies, “OK, Abraham….it’s a deal. You go find your 50 righteous folks, and I’ll back down.”

A short time later, Abraham returns to God. He’s been searching for 50, but he's coming up short. He revises his offer: “What about 45? If I can find 45 good folks, would you be willing to honor our original deal?”

God shakes hands with Abraham. “OK, Abraham, I'll take 45. See what you can do,” God replies. 

And on it goes, back and forth. You can see where this story is going. The numbers keep dropping—with Abraham offering a final bid of 10 righteous people.

Abraham returns to God unable to locate even a single righteous man or woman. God says he’s made his decision. He’s ready to pull the trigger, and He tells Lot to gather up his family, his belongings, and to head out of the city, ASAP. The countdown to fire and brimstone has begun.

One more thing. God tells Lot to flee the city, but to make sure the family never looks back, lest they die. Of course, as the drama plays out, Lot’s wife, a curious thing, looks back and turns into that famous pillar of salt.  There’s even a epic film about the story, complete with special effects from a Hollywood sound stage. As a kid, I remember glued to our black and white television set, waiting for Lot’s wife to turn around…and stiffen up.

There’s a morality tale here about society and the way we live together. It’s a story of community and dependency, and showing compassion for our neighbors. And it’s a story about a few good people making a big difference.

We live in an increasingly fractured world dominated by media and social networking. Not to be conspiracy theorists, it’s also clear that certain elements of our society benefit greatly by this gradual distancing, the separation, the return to forced segregation. The biggest benefactor is government, and we can throw in a bunch of NGOs for good measure. The ancient dictum, “Divide and Conquer” seems to be a great way for some to gain control over the many. And in many ways it’s working. 

But we can also see others starting to fight back. It takes only a righteous minority to make a difference, and to change the flow of history. The previous article about masks as a religious sacrament can be one way we show mutual respect, despite the lack of evidence that masks are medically beneficial. It’s may be the symbol of community that is the most important part of mask-wearing. To show that I care enough about your health to protect the both of us.

But in normal life, it’s strange how short-lived our principles can stay in place. Funny thing in Greece is that while the majority are dutifully wearing masks, most are also smoking in public. I joke with friends that I’ve breathed in more second hand smoke in my life in Greece than most 2 pack-a day smokers in America. Compassion and community is much more than about mask-wearing. It’s a daily discipline of looking out for our neighbors.

And a little effort can go a long way....